The Village Trip Festival across Greenwich Village & the East Village

Let Freedom Ring! Visions & Voices from the Great Hall – a star-studded celebration of music and civil rights to honor the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington directed by David Deblinger and Daniel Carlton
Wonderful Town – a cabaret performance of Leonard Bernstein’s legendary Downtown musical with Jamie Bernstein, Janis Siegel, Michael Kelly and Yaron Gershovsky
Gail Papp in conversation with George C Wolfe – Joe Papp, Shakespeare in the Park and the Public Theater
Earth Requiem – Diana Wege’s groundbreaking interdisciplinary work with music by Eve Beglarian and Errollyn Wallen

Neighbors, Lovers and Friends – a celebration of Village-centric composers and poets, including Victoria Bond’s centennial setting of Edna St Vincent Millay
Jazz for Justice – featuring Albert Marques and his trio, David Amram and the Loisada Orchestra, poets Caridad de la Luz (La Bruja), Marcos de la Fuente and special guests, including Keith Lamar, live from prison
Mazel – Yiddish classics with a downbeat to mark Rosh Hashana. With Janis Siegel, John di Martino and Cantor Daniel Kramer and friends

We will Celebrate Ukraine! A full program of events throughout the East Village will honour Ukraine’s rich history and culture while raising money for Drs. Irwin and Karen Redlener’s Ukraine Children’s Action Project.

There will be a sponsored Piano Play-a-Thon on the portico of St. Mark’s in the Bowery, and inside the church two classical concerts. And in the evening at Drom, Kommuna Lux, a band from Ukraine famous for its “Odessa gangsta folk” will be joined by some very special local guests.

Talkin' New York Folk Revival:The Village Trip Live at the Bitter End on Bandcamp

The magical closing concert from the inaugural festival. Hosted by Tom Chapin, it featured the Chapin Sisters, Diana Jones, David Massengill, Happy Traum and Village Trip Artist Emeritus David Amram performing such timeless folk classics as “Pastures of Plenty”, “City of New Orleans”. “The Water is Wide” and “Irene, Goodnight”. The line-up also features Michael Mark on bass and David Mansfield on violin, plus special guest John Heller. The recording was edited by Steve Rosenthal, whose distinguished work includes the commemorative set of Woody Guthrie: The Tribute Concerts.

Buy from Bandcamp $20.

In the spirit of the great folk tradition, all the performers have generously donated their share of the proceeds from the recording to Greenwich House Music School.

From the 2022 Festival: WATCH a reading of Jack Kerouac's On the Road with music

Check out this very cool video teaser for our On the Road reading at the Strand Book Store. Produced and edited by Jordan Galland, the video captures the spirit of the star-studded reading of Jack Kerouac's classic novel directed by David Deblinger.

If you want to see the entire reading with performances by Mercedes Ruehl, Marsha Mason, Dael Orlandersmith, Kevin Corrigan, Stephanie Berry, John Ventimiglia, Jose Rivera, and John Doman, buy the recording. View the program.

Artist and exhibition curator Marc Kehoe opens Framing the Village at the Revelation Gallery (Cliff Pearson)

Photo wall at Framing the Village (John Eng)

Renee Manning with David Amram and Friends on Eighth Street (Jamie Kalikow)

Fun in the sun on Eighth Street (Jamie Kalikow)

Instead of delivering a speech, Council Member Erik Bottcher brought his guitar. Here he jams with Dave Keyes (Jamie Kalikow)

Rene Hart, bass, and Jerome Harris (Liz Thomson)

Tilted Axes (Jamie Kalikow)

Urban cool Patrick Grant, front, and Tilted Axes (Cliff Pearson)

Let the good times roll: Antoinette Montague (right) with Renee Manning and David Amram (Liz Thomson)

William Anderson conducts the guitar orchestra Sheer Pluck at Ah, Let’s Go Back to the Village (Liz Thomson)

Soprano Elizabeth Farnum with Sheer Pluck, at the finale of Ah, Let’s Go Back to the Village (Liz Thomson)

Yoshiko Kline and Ken Radnofsky at Classical Jack, the celebration of Kerouac and classical music (Liz Thomson)

William Anderson goes electric at Classical Jack (Liz Thomson)

Soprano Elizabeth Farnum with guitarists William Anderson (left) and Oren Fader at Classical Jack (Liz Thomson)

Classical Jack: composer David Amram at the piano for Pull My Daisy, the music he wrote for Jack Kerouac’s “petit flic” (Liz Thomson)

And they did, across two weeks and three weekends, Greenwich Village and the East Village – Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park. The Village Trip celebrated the neighborhoods, showing off not just their great legacies but also their continuing vibrancy. The spirit – artistic, activist – of which Robert Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian, spoke of in his inaugural Village Trip lecture, titled “Global Greenwich Village,” was everywhere evident. At the Nuyorican Poets Café, where David Amram, Bobby Sanabria, Jennifer Jade Ledesna, Marcos de la Fuente and Loisaida musicians celebrated the Beats and bebop in an evening organised by Lyn Pentecost and Pepe Flores of La Sala de Pepe y Foto Espacio, the infectious joy and energy of the evening made it seem that all things are possible. As Charlie Parker said: Now is the time! Amen to that.

Wonderful Town: Jamie Bernstein (left) and Janis Siegel in cabaret at North Square Lounge. In the background: Yaron Gershovsky on keyboard and baritone Michael Kelly (Cliff Pearson)

“Somewhere” – Jamie Bernstein, Janis Siegel, and Michael Kelly close with a number from Bernstein’s Uptown musical, West Side Story (Cliff Pearson)

Michael Kelly – “Pass the Football.” one of Wonderful Town’s many witty numbers (Cliff Pearson)

Jamie Bernstein leads a unique walking tour celebrating the locales associated with Wonderful Town, the Downtown musical composed by her father, Leonard Bernstein, with Betty Comden and Adolph Green (Cliff Pearson)

David Amram and Janis Siegel (Liz Thomson)

Soprano Sharon Harms with the CompCord Chamber Orchestra at the Players Theater for Songs and Poems from the Village (Peter Fokas)

Suzanne Vega debuts her “Song for Mariupol” with the CompCord Chamber Orchestra (Peter Fokas)

Poez reading with the CompCord Chamber Orchestra (Peter Fokas)

Gene Pritsker (center), the CompCord Chamber Orchestra and guests, acknowledge the full house (Peter Fokas)

Suzanne Vega (center) with Cliff Pearson and Liz Thomson (Dan Scheffey)

Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President, at the Jefferson Market Library introducing the inaugural Village Trip Lecture by Professor Rob Snyder (Cliff Pearson)

Professor Rob Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian, speaks on “Global Greenwich Village” (Cliff Pearson)

Marc Peloquin celebrates David Del Tredici at 85 in Secret Music at St John’s in the Village (Liz Thomson)

Marcos de la Fuente reads Jack Kerouac at Children of the American Bop (and Mambo) Night at Joe’s Pub (Cliff Pearson)

Jennifer Jade Ledesna with Bobby Sanabria and David Amram at Joe’s Pub (Cliff Pearson)

Janis Siegel (left) and Lauren Kinhan with Bobby Sanabria and friends at Joe’s Pub (Cliff Pearson)

The bop and mambo kings: Bobby Sanabria (left) and David Amram (Liz Thomson)

From left: David Amram, Antoinette Montague, Jennifer Jade Ledesna, Marcos de la Fuente, Janis Siegel and Lauren Kinhan with Bobby Sanabria closing Children of the American Bop (and Mambo) Night)

What Maestro Leonard Bernstein called “the infinite variety of music” was on offer: Classical and New Music at St John’s in the Village, Tenri Cultural Institute, and the Players Theater. William Anderson thoughtfully curated concerts that crossed genres, pushed boundaries, and took us on any number of stimulating journeys criss-crossing the rich musical history of the Village, East and West.

There were premières – from David Amram, Gene Pritsker and Suzanne Vega, the latter inventively paired with Composers Concordance. There was jazz in all its vibrant glory. Amram and Sanabria and a host of friends raising the roof at Joe’s Pub as they celebrated The Children of the American Bop (and Mambo) Night.

The great Janis Siegel, in another sold-out gig at Joe’s, sang an exquisite and heartfelt tribute to her beloved New York City. And of course, there was Janis and Jamie Bernstein, the Maestro’s daughter, and their friends with an exclusive and utterly enthralling evening honoring Wonderful Town, a musical set in mid-century Greenwich Village bohemia. It’s getting an Uptown transfer – need we say more!

At the Strand, director David Deblinger introduces the all-star reading of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (Liz Thomson)

David Amram (right) with son Adam (left) and Rene Hart prepare to play for On the Road, as David did for Jack Kerouac himself (David Ryzman/Moonrise Media)

At the Strand, Dael Orlandersmith and Jose Rivera in the Strand’s Rare Book Room awaiting the audience for On the Road (David Ryzman/Moonrise Media)

Kevin Corrigan, Stephanie Berry, Dael Orlandersmith and Mercedes Ruhle listening to fellow readers of On the Road (Liz Thomson)

John Ventimiglia reading On the Road (Liz Thomson)

Stephanie Berry, the final reader of On the Road (Cliff Pearson)

David Deblinger with Questlove, who joined the audience at the Strand (Liz Thomson)

In an East Village Botanical Garden, flutists gather to celebrate fellow flutist Jeremy Steig, who died in 2016 (Dan Scheffey)

Village Voices: sopranos Sharon Harms (left) and Adriana Valdez celebrate Village poets and composers (Liz Thomson)

I’ll Take Manhattan: Janis Siegel honours New York City in song at Joe’s Pub (Liz Thomson)

Taking Manhattan: Janis Siegel with (from left) John di Martino, Boris Koslov, and Bobby Sanabria (Liz Thomson)

The Village and Phil Ochs: At Drom, Gene Pritsker conducts (from left) Joan Forsyth, William Anderson, Melanie Milrano and Lynn Bechtold (Frank Fontana)

At Drom, Henry Anderson (left) and Matt Scullin play Phil Ochs (Frank Fontana)

The highlights were too numerous to mention, but for many the star-studded reading of On the Road, directed by David Deblinger of HB Studio, with live music from Jack Kerouac’s old buddy David Amram, was way up there. Questlove was in the audience! And emotions were high as we celebrated the late great Phil Ochs at a sold-out concert at the Bitter End, a club Ochs knew well and played often. Peter Yarrow was in the audience – Peter, Paul and Mary played their debut performance in the club back in 1961!

History honored, history made across a few blocks of Downtown Manhattan that have given more to the world than any other.

Now’s the Time: Celebrating Jack Kerouac, Charlie Parker, Piri Thomas and today’s East Village talent at the Nuyorican Poets Café (Liz Thomson)

At the Nuyorican Poets Café: Penny Arcade and David Amram (Liz Thomson)

At the Nuyorican Poets Café: Jennifer Jade Ledesna and Bobby Sanabria (Liz Thomson)

Noe Socha plays harmonica for La Bruja, the poet, actor, singer-songwriter, and community activist Caridad de la Luz, who is Executive Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café. At left: David Amram (Liz Thomson)

At The Bitter End: standing room only for Chords of Fame: A Salute to Phil Ochs (Jamie Kalikow)

Phil Ochs remembered, by David Amram with Our Band, Magpie and Regie Harris, with Rene Hart on bass (Jamie Kalikow)

Phil Ochs remembered: from left Our Band, Reggie Harris, and Magpie with (standing) David Amram and Rene Hart. Danny Goldberg was the evening’s host (Jamie Kalikow)

An honored guest at The Bitter End was Peter Yarrow (right), of Peter, Paul and Mary. With him are friends Carman Moore, composer, educator, and activist; and Trudy Mason of the New York Democratic Party (Liz Thomson)

Trippers at The Bitter End: from left Terri Howell of the Village Alliance, a TVT partner, Liz Thomson, Cliff Pearson, Elena Martinez, folklorist and co-Artistic Director of the Bronx Music Heritage Center, and percussionist extraordinaire Bobby Sanabria (Jamie Kalikow)

Be-bop meets classical – Charlie Parker and Stephan Wolpe at St John’s in the Village with Hillard Greene and the Jazz Expressions: Hilliard Greene, bass, T K Blue, saxophone, and Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax, drums (Liz Thomson)

Be-pop meets classical: Sharp Radway, piano, with Hilliard Greene, bass, T K Blue, saxophone, and Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax, drums (Liz Thomson)

Classical meets be-bop: The Momenta String Quartet – Emilie-Anne Gendron, and Alex Shiozaki, violin; Stephanie Griffin, viola; and Michael Haas, cello (Liz Thomson)

In the Lobby Bar at the Washington Square Hotel, Liz Thomson talks to Richard Barone about his latest book, Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s (Cliff Pearson)

Adam Tendler, “currently the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene” among the performers at Glass Houses (Cliff Pearson)

Dancing on Glass: Pauline Kim, Chieh-Fan Liu and Coleman Itzikoff (Cliff Pearson)

Glass Houses: Celebrating Philip Glass at 85 draws a full house, including many featured composers (Liz Thomson)

“I think I can speak for everyone when I say that yes, we had as much fun as it looked like we did,” said Lisa Gutkin, Klezmatics singer-songwriter and fiddler after the band’s backyard gig in Washington Square Park. “It was fabulous to see so many of our long-time fans. But also, I loved watching people who were just wandering into the Park join the dance line and go crazy. It was indeed thrilling.”

Thank you all for coming. It’s been quite a Trip! See you same time, same place next year.

Bringing It All Back Home to Washington Square, signature event of The Village Trip: Reverend Billy and the Choir of the Church of Stop Shopping (Cliff Pearson)

Bringing It All Back Home to Washington Square: Tripping in the Park (Jamie Kalikow)

Frank London of The Klezmatics sounds a fanfare (Jamie Kalikow)

Klezmatics! Lorin Sklamberg and Lisa Gutkin (Jamie Kalikow)

Smoke and Water: Joshua Nelson and The Klezmatics (Liz Thomson)

The Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson wow the crowds in Washington Square Park (Jamie Kalikow)

Garibaldi looks down on the crowd from his perch (Jamie Kalikow)

Dancing to the beat of The Village Trip (Jamie Kalikow)

Tired but exhilarated: Cliff Pearson and Liz Thomson with Cole Quest (far left) and Anna Canoni (far right), Woody Guthrie’s grandchildren; and Lisa Gutkin of The Klezmatics, and Doug Yeager, manager of David Amram and a festival advisor.

Pianist and composer Theo Rockas at the festival’s final Classical and New Music concert, Village Composers and Stephen Dembski, at Tenri Cultural Institute (Liz Thomson)

David Amram Masterclass with young students at the Third Street Settlement Music School (Liz Thomson)

Third Street: David Amram jams with jazz students – you might call it a Jamram! (Liz Thomson)

Performance art at the closing party for Framing the Village: Dancer and artist Ariel Kleinberg: Lumia Artist: George Stadnik with Maxine Stadnik, Gregory Stadnik and Joshua White (Cliff Pearson)

The view from behind as The Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson bring the afternoon to a close (Jamie Kalikow)

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The Village Trip

An Annual Festival in September
Celebrating Arts and Activism across Greenwich Village and the East Village.

Mark Your Calendars:
The Village Trip 2023 will take place September 8 – 24

85+ events over 17 days – stay tuned! Be there! View some highlights below.
Sign up to our Newsletter for updates and offers.

UKRAINE DAY:
A celebration of Ukrainian culture on Sunday September 10

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Framing the Village Exhibition 2023 | Portraits

Now available – recordings of two very special Village Trip events. Buy them for yourself or as a gift for friends and family, and help support a valuable cause while also spreading the word about The Village Trip.

Talkin' New York Folk Revival:The Village Trip Live at the Bitter End on Bandcamp

From the 2022 Festival: WATCH a reading of Jack Kerouac's On the Road with music

THE VILLAGE TRIP 2022: Let the Good Times Roll

FESTIVAL BROCHURE

FESTIVAL PARTNERS

The Village Trip Mission Statement

To uplift, to entertain and to celebrate the arts for all New Yorkers, their families and all people from around the world who come to visit Downtown Manhattan’s special oases, Greenwich Village and the East Village.